Warning: SPOILERS for Silver Surfer: Black
The origins of the Marvel Universe have finally been revealed, thanks to the cosmic adventure revealed in the pages of Silver Surfer: Black. Before there was life, all of creation was cold and dark, billions of years ago... until the Silver Surfer arrived to bring light into being. In the process, changing his physical appearance forever.
This story from Donny Cates and Tradd Moore is about the closest fans are going to get to a "creation myth" for the Marvel Universe, but it's a damn good one. Cates' current Venom series revealed the endless, black abyss ruled over by Knull, the God of the Symbiotes in a time before time. A great god, perhaps, but not nearly enough to defeat the Surfer. Their battle and its impact on the universe and the Surfer are sure to make this a historic series, but we'll stick to what people really want to know: the days of the Surfer's silver shine are well and truly over.
Those looking for the full story can read our detailed explanation of how Silver Surfer created life in Marvel's Universe, but the point is this. Having been flung billions of years into the past, the Surfer is swallowed up by Knull's darkness. With each blow in their battle, the Surfer's 'power cosmic' is hopelessly drained -- turning his body black, piece by piece. And as he realizes his fate, the Surfer accepts that his role is not to wield the light, but to unleash it. Which he does, driving Knull back from the new light of the universe... before his own physical form dissolves on solar winds. Not to die. To be reborn. Read the incredible journey for yourselves:
And then, from death, life. Over eons, my atoms fall like seeds scattered across the galaxy. Giving life to those planets I watched die. My consciousness scattered. I am aware of their mighty breath giving chase to the winds of infinity. Over and over, world across world, I have become such wondrous things. And then, as these planets blossom into the black, as they emerge and seed back into the great abyss, slowly, over endless millennia... I am remade. And in so doing, I remember who I am. Who I have become.
I am Norrin Radd. Creator and orphan son of Zenn-La. I am a noble light in great unending darkness. I am a friend. An ally. A lover. To most, a savior. I am known by many, universe-wide, as the Silver Surfer. The sentinel of the spaceways. The herald unchained. But not death. No longer that. The darkness I have given, now... balanced with the light I have shared.
As he puts it: "my hands no longer drenched in red... I return. In the black." The story of Norrin Radd is set to begin anew, now that he has returned to the beginning, died, and reconstituted himself over eons into his physical body. Minus the silver of the power cosmic, of course. Those fans who wish to see this historic reveal for themselves can find the full credits and series details below, with all five issues now available.
- SILVER SURFER: BLACK #1-5
- Written by: Donny Cates
- Art by: Tradd Moore
- Covert Art by: Tradd Moore
- Is this the end of Norrin Radd? In GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, the cosmos’ greatest defenders were thrown through a black hole — including the Silver Surfer! But his story doesn’t end there! To beat back oblivion and avoid losing himself to the darkness, the Sentinel of the Spaceways must call on all his inner light to save his own soul! With his Power Cosmic fading and the all-consuming darkness descending, will help come in the form of an unexpected ally? When the Surfer discovers something with the potential power to turn the tide, is he prepared to pay the terrible price for awakening it? And how does the Surfer’s predicament tie in to the sinister world of symbiotes? Donny Cates and Tradd Moore take the Surfer on a journey that will change him forever!
Silver Surfer: Black #5 is available now from your local comic book shop, or direct from Marvel Comics.